JPF Home Page Forums General Messages Industry Message Forum Future Of Music Industry Uncertain Amid Pandemic

Hey all,

Came across this video article on Huffington Post. I shared it on my linkedin page. Does anyone have a similar experience ?

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6726219441614544896/ ( copy and paste into your browser )

cheers, niteshift

Here's the link

Geoff,

I linked that for you. To be clear, I disagree with it 100% however in the USA. Hear, people draw unemployment INSURANCE if they've paid into it. If they haven't, they shouldn't be drawing from it anymore than people who don't get car insurance shouldn't have their car replaced by an insurer they haven't paid the premiums. Medicare for all would bankrupt the program overnight and the economy is too weak to handle even more crushing deficit spending which just makes slaves of the yet to be born and generations beyond. Our taxes are already too high and the more we crush small employers (none of the big companies pay comparative taxes) the jobs go with them.

The USA is nearly 27 trillion in debt. Our services are stretched thin already and raising taxes more on those barely getting by would be further crushing. One party plans to end the current tax cuts which put thousands of our own money back in our pocket. Adding people illegally here or those from other countries not paying into our system simply puts all that burden on the few still working pushing even more out of work. No thanks.

You wouldn't want to be stuck buying someone a new car who had wrecked theirs without insurance, this is no different.

Thanks for your perspective Brian. I guess different countries work on different social systems. I do think however, that the situation is most tough for musicians who now derive their major income playing live. I hope things will improve all around.

cheers, niteshift

In rebuttal of Mr. Whitneys assessment of all things economic and newcomers to the USA. Is 27 trillion that big? Is it humanly possible to say to ourselves, "consider it a lost lottery ticket that didn't win and get over it" ya it's big, but can anyone tell me why we actually owe ourselves this money when a vast majority is spent without seemingly being outright earned US tax dollars but free services on the condition it gets paid entirely but never actually will with so much as a miniscule dent in that payment to be significantly noticed anyways? Do you think twice about spending money on guitar strings even when its a choice between food and equipment that can bring you at least a sandwich and glass of milk at best even nowadays in a near deserted Sunday afternoon coffee house? Am I that out of touch with Covid and it's devastating effects? For perspective, Mr. Trump has promised federal dollars to largely pay for $1 Billion dollars to replace to vital artery connectors to the Massachusetts mainland from tourist and economic lifeline to Massachusetts Cape Cod and even with no forceeable new taxes mentioned from anyone coming out of anywhere, where is this money coming from? IMHO, we could live with these bridges another decade easily and more with affordable care and no doubt the new construction of two new bridges will spell economic disaster for the lower middle class and working poor for there will be local and state taxes regardless of who's in the White House beginning with gas taxes untold for decades. Massive lines of endless traffic during the offpeak winter season effectively putting the water ways and airways into overdrive unlike anytime before. At least Biden is going to tax earners of 400K and more and is going to make Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft, Alphabet, Exxon, and former President Trump pay a huge amount vastly more than they do now and will be utterly, undeniably fair about it too. Care to say a minimum wage worker should have to pay 6% in state and even more Federally as it stands under Trump and every pres, governor since the eightees? As for those money sucking illegal aliens you so vehemently seem to not want in this country, they are here, get over it, do you honestly know how many Americans leave here for greener pastures and there are plenty of those places outside this near dictatorship, soul crushing leadership governed not by the people but by merciless corporations, health care leaders and brainless clueless to reality political heads? Thank God I say Biden did get in, I personally believe he has a humanitarian soul as does Harris, unlike lapdog yes man Pence and the utterly delusional ever lying Trump. Trump does get personal brownie points, he literallly changed the veterans admin and lowered considerably health care costs for insulin and seniors, saving my fathers breathing living life and relaxing my insulin dependant 80 year young friends grip on near full time employement. Other than that and lowering the fed corporate tax rate, has he done anything soulful, meaningful for the working poor, no and I'll easily rebutt any weak attempt otherwise from anyone for there has been none other than a media friendly signatory once in awhile move for people of color and women, unlike the movement that fully supports to the largest degree Indian/Black VP Kamala Harris and Joe Biden. In regards to Medicare for all and its emptying the bankroll over night, it's already empty, on borrowed money and woefully lopsided. Medicaid in Mass means $3USD prescriptions for nearly everything, virtually little or no health care costs out of pocket meanwhile, those with Tufts, BlueCross/Blue Shield, Harvard Pilgrim and the likes are paying way over the top for prescriptions and general out of pocket health care while earning less than $50K and more than $25K easily. Totally and undeniably the insurance companies are not playing with a level field and making the lower middle income workers pay for the poor whom have under the table jobs, play the lottery and never ending drinking and drugging problems taking a huge bite out of the healthcare system that does little or next to nothing meaningful outside a court ordered three day obligatory stay in a mental hospital or two week rehab for drug toxicity on heroin, cocaine, ecstacy and alchohol dependency but outright hold prisoner for untold amounts of time those with no drug and alcohol problems who stand in question as to whether or not a person is mentally ill with a have total unconditional blind faith or else mentality delivering caulking gun for needle medicine that is by far and large unanimously causing greater harm than the little good peddled and believed as lifesaving by a trigger happy society towards the over ,misdiagnosed mass public with a tiny number of truly violent people being the media darlings causing such wasteful spending. So, as far as Medicare for all goes, whether or not it's a level economic playing field that Medicare for all can be or the stuck high up and way low see saw it is now it really makes no significant impact now or later as to how we proceed but change must take place if not economically, at the very least how we treat ourselves and the real priorities so widely missed in target,. Whitney, its easy to blast as you have, but back it up with a dose of clear reality as i have here.